Greatest Rivals - Frank Lampard vs Steven Gerrard

Welcome to Greatest Rivals!

Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers. 

In order to determine a winner, each rivalry will be split into 2 categories: Statistical dominance and individual or team success. In case of a draw, the winner will then be elected from personal opinion. 

Frank Lampard vs Steven Gerrard 

Since 1966, England hasn't had much in terms of luck when it comes to true world-class talent. We've had the odd wunderkind but sure enough, they soon dissolve. However, the 21st century gave birth to two of the most decorated and feared midfield players of the modern era, each of whom led their respective teams for over a decade. As both rivals and as team-mates, they've been compared to one another throughout their entire careers and today I will try and finally put to rest who was England's true number one midfielder. 

As the Premier Leagues highest scoring midfielder of all time (177 goals), it's going to be hard to make any sort of case for Steven Gerrard in the statistical dominance category. But in the spirit of controversy, I'll at least give it a go. 

Lampard began his Chelsea career in 2001 and through 648 appearances across all competitions, he scored 210 goals and assisted on 151 occasions. He was without a doubt, a major contributing factor to all winning campaigns for Chelsea and remains an irreplaceable cog that to this day, Chelsea is still struggling to replace (even after spending £656 million since Lampard's absence). Nevertheless, in his time at Stamford Bridge, Lampard helped add many trophies to Abramovich's mantlepiece including 3 League titles (2005, 2006, 2010), 4 FA Cups (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) and 1 Champions League Trophy (2011/2012). 

Gerrard is a born and bred scouser and until the later part of his career, bled the colours of Liverpool for 17 straight seasons in the Premier League. Throughout his 710 appearances across all competition, Gerrard scored 186 goals and assisted a further 143, anointing him as one of Liverpool's best ever midfielders. Unlike Lampard, Gerrard does not have a Premier League title to boast over, after finishing as a runner up on 3 separate occasions, but don't let that fool you, he is still one of the most decorated English footballers around. Alongside a famous comeback victory at the 2005 Champions League Final, Gerrard is also accountable for success in the FA Cup (2001, 2006), League Cup (2001, 2003, 2012), and Europa Super Cup (2002, 2007). 

Legacy is a huge part of why Gerrard and Lampard are so adored by not only their clubs but also whilst performing on the international stage as well. On paper, this duo was one of the best in Europe; second only to Iniesta and Xavi of Spain. Over a combined 220 caps for their country they scored a total of 50 goals but much to the dismay of every pub in England, they were unable to lead their team to any winning effort.   

Honestly, I tried my best, but even reading back through this category now, it's unquestionable. With a win percentage of 57.3% over his Chelsea career and his undeniable knack for goal-scoring, Lampard is hard to pass up in the statistic dominance category and takes my vote here.  

Statistical Dominance: Frank Lampard  

Individual success within a team sport is always difficult to judge. After all, a house is only as good as it's foundations, but thankfully for Lampard, he had a world-class supporting cast throughout the majority of his Chelsea career. Alongside Lampard, Stamford Bridge played host to some of the greatest talents that the Premier League has ever seen (which is more down to the size of its owner's wallet than anything else). Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and John Terry are just a handful of names that helped Lampard in Chelsea's success over his 13-year stint and certainly attributed to his massive goal and assist tally's. 

On the other hand, Gerrard was not so lucky and like it or not, the fame and fashion of London's West End are a little more appealing to big-name footballers than that of the stereotype filled city on the Mersey. However, I'm not saying Gerrard didn't have help, as he possessed great teammates in Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher and Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen. 

Now, this is where the controversy starts. Despite Lampard having a higher win percentage whilst at Chelsea and a higher finishing position on average (3rd), is it impossible to say that if Gerrard was given the same opportunities and same world-class teammates, would he have been even better? 

Statistically...yes. Even with all the opportunities afforded to Lampard, Gerrard still carried Liverpool for 17 long seasons with a 50.6% win rate and an average finishing league position of 5th. Unfortunately, due to me not owning a time machine (yet), it's not possible to find out if a move to Chelsea in place of Lampard would have definitively proven who was better between these two great midfielders and therefore we must stick with the facts. 

Both players were nominated as the Premier League's Footballer of The Year (Lampard in 2005 and Gerrard and 2009) but all the numbers point to Lampard and for good reason. He is statistically England's greatest ever midfielder and fortunately found a home during a time where Chelsea was dominant on both English and European soil and therefore takes home a clean sweep in this greatest rivals matchup. 

Individual/Team Success: Frank Lampard